Legends and Newcomers Highlight 8th Annual Americana Music Association Honors & Awards Show

Buddy Miller Pulls Near-Sweep Of Major Categories

Emmylou Harris, Justin Townes Earle, Jim Lauderdale, John Fogerty & Buddy Miller; photo: Erika Goldring

(September 17, 2009) – Acclaimed singer/songwriter/guitarist/producer Buddy Miller was the biggest winner at the 8th Annual Americana Music Association Honors & Awards Show Thursday night at the Ryman Auditorium, taking home trophies in almost every category for which he was nominated.

Performing in celebration of lifetime achievement awards were John Fogerty, Ray Benson and Asleep At The Wheel, and Sam Bush. John Prine and Nanci Griffith sang a duet in honor of recipient Jim Rooney. The AMA’s annual awards show, hosted by Jim Lauderdale, was also a showcase for both established artists and the next generation of stars, all contributing fresh material to the Americana music scene. Performers included Rodney Crowell, The Gourds, Raul Malo, The Flatlanders, Reckless Kelly.

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First Annual L.A. Acoustic Music Festival June 6-7

SANTA MONICA, Calif. ­ The L.A. Acoustic Music Festival, featuring a world-class lineup of artists, makes its debut over the weekend of June 6–7, 2009 on the beautiful Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, Calif. The two-day celebration of acoustic music ­ which takes place during the Pier’s 100th Anniversary year ­benefits the California Acoustic Music Project (CAMP).

The lineup for Saturday, June 6 will open with the Refugees, the all-female “power band” of Wendy Waldman (“Save the Best for Last”), Deborah Holland, and Cindy Bullens, followed by Joel Rafael, Eliza Gilkyson, and the extraordinary Jimmy LaFave, named “Best Singer-Songwriter” by Austin Music Awards, playing what he calls “red dirt music.”

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Nanci Griffith to release THE LOVING KIND June 9th

CD is seminal singer-songwriter’s 19^th album and first album of all-new material since 2005

Los Angeles, California – Nanci Griffith’s classic sound – folk/country melodies built around stories that aren’t afraid to tackle big subjects all delivered with the artist’s signature vocal style – returns in full bloom on THE LOVING KIND, her new album scheduled for release on June 9th from Rounder Records.  Featuring thirteen new songs, THE LOVING KIND is Nanci’s most politically outspoken release in years, and underscores her stature as one of the music world’s most esteemed singer-songwriters. The release of THE LOVING KIND will be accompanied by a U.S. tour.

With a recording and touring history that stretches back more than two decades, Griffith has established, what Madison Avenue would call, a “brand.” But her signature music is much more about art than commerce, which is why her fan base has remained incredibly loyal – fans include contemporaries such as Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, and Emmylou Harris, all of whom have either recorded her songs or insisted she record theirs.

With her last CD (the critically-acclaimed Ruby’s Torch), a torch song tribute, THE LOVING KIND is her first studio album of original and contemporary cover material since 2005’s Hearts in Mind. The title track, emblematic of the album’s story songs, refers to Loving v. Virginia, the 1967 landmark civil rights case that once and for all ended the ban on interracial marriages in the U.S. Richard and Mildred Loving were a married white man and black woman who were forced to leave their native state of Virginia under threat of arrest because of the state’s Jim Crow law prohibiting marriages between different races.

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Diana Jones New Album out May 19th

Diana Jones channels the “flavour of a bygone era” (The Guardian UK) on Better Times Will Come, (May 19th, Proper American). Combining high lonesome singing, traditional strains of mountain and old-time music, and a highly literate lyrical sensibility, Jones has produced a collection of songs which Uncut magazine says “sound like they’ve spent a couple of generations being marinated on an Appalachian mountain porch.” As it turns out, each one is Jones’ original work.

The follow up to her critically acclaimed 2006 recording, My Remembrance of You, Jones’ newest songs have already drawn diverse praise and recognition ranging from raves in the UK press (where she’s currently on tour) to a connection with Joan Baez, who recently covered “Henry Russell’s Last Words” (the third track on Jones’ new release) on the Grammy-nominated album Day After Tomorrow.

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